Golf, Role Models, and Growing Older
A weird thing happens when you go to college. No, not that you live off $1 meals or the awkward sexual experiences. It’s more of an age you hit at that point. The 18-22 phase of your life. Obviously you’re changing and maturing a lot as a person, but that’s not it either.
When I was 11 Tiger Woods anihilated everyone in the 2000 US Open. He completely dominated the entire tournament and finished the round at -12. The guy in second finished at +3. I remember watching that tournament with my dad and it was the final piece that got me hooked on Tiger. That major was his 3rd, and it started his streak where he held every major title at once, the closest anyone has come to a Grand Slam in the sport (he won the masters in 2001 instead of 2000).
This being the time where I started playing golf, Tiger Woods became a no-brainer idol for me. He was 25. Still considered young to the rest of the world, he was still more than double my age. I was constantly in awe of the way he would draw crowds in by creating an electricity on the course. I grew up watching Tiger dominate the golf world, and it helped me stay motivated to better my own game. I never really had the opportunity to make it to the pros and be a dominant force like Tiger was, but I had some respectable rounds.
In the last 11 years, Tiger has had his ups and downs, but now he’s now a 36 year old man. This weekend, Rory McIlroy, a 22 year old golfer from Northern Ireland, possessed the same domination Tiger showed 11 years ago. Rory has been a force this weekend, and has done it with a quiet modesty you have to respect. The performance also comes after his Sunday blow up in the Masters two months ago. It was hard not to feel sorry for Rory after the Masters: He had his worse day ever on the course during the biggest round of his life, and it was still better than any round of golf I’ve ever shot.
When Rory ended up in the lead after the first day of the US Open Thursday, I started to look up to the guy. He came out with the same tenacity he showed for 54 holes at Augusta, and immediately made it clear he was not going to fade into oblivion after choking at the Masters. Maybe he would be my new idol.
Then I realized something: he was the same age as me. He had done so much more in 22 years than I have. Then I thought back to UConn’s incredible tournament run in Men’s Basketball this March, and how I really looked up to Kemba Walker. HE IS A YEAR YOUNGER THAN ME. I’ve finally reached the point in my life where the young, impressive athletes in the sporting world are my age. Derrick Rose just won the NBA MVP this year at 22. It’s not just sports either: Michael Cera, Emma Stone, Daniel Radcliffe and Ellen Page are all a year within my age.
While it’s depressing for a moment to think about how these people have completely outperformed me so far in life, the next thought that comes into my head is can they be a role model or idol? I mean, technically they’ve done things that I find impressive and want to strive for, but they don’t have that seniority factor that I feel is a prerequisite for role model status. Technically these amazing athletes and actors are peers, and I can be envious of them, but I feel like I have to find a new set of people in their late 20s and early 30s to start looking up to.
But maybe I can look up to someone younger than me or someone my age. It’s not a secret that I will only get older, and there will be less and less people I can look up to that are younger than me. At some point the new idol may be someone younger that you wish you could have been. Or someone who has a personality or style element that you saw in yourself at a younger age. With Rory’s case, I could strive to have the appreciativeness he has for what he’s been a part of. It’s definitely something to strive for. And if he can do it, so can I. I mean, we’re the same age, so we’re basically similar.
